Call To Action

We, a group of 45 people, of whom 43 are women of various nationalities (Algerian, French, American and Spanish) have come to Douchanbe on June 27th and 28th 2000, as individuals or representatives of women’s organizations. Women on the Road for Afghanistan is part of the Worldwide March of Women taking place five years after the Beijing Conference on Women. Here in Douchanbe, we met with more than two hundred Afghan refugee women who have fled the war in Afghanistan. They came to this meeting to give witness to and write up their “Declaration of the Essential Rights of Afghan Women”.

After hearing the direct testimonies of these women and taking into consideration the reports made by international organizations investigating the war in Afghanistan, we hereby state that we consider the vicious oppression of Women in Afghanistan to be as serious an issue as the training of terrorists or drug trafficking.

Therefore, WE THE UNDERSIGNED, DENOUNCE: * The barbaric acts and massive attacks on fundamental rights committed against the women of Afghanistan by the Taliban regime. * The suppression of freedom to move about, to work and to access healthcare. * The attacks on woman’s dignity and invasion of private and family life, attacks that cause irreparable physical and mental damage and are international crimes against humanity. * The cynical pretense of the Taliban regime that claims to subscribe to the international laws protecting the rights of women and men. * The international drug traffic by the Taliban representing 80% of the world production of heroin. * The fact that the zones controlled by the Taliban have become an epicenter generating international terrorism which has become a threat to democracies. * Pakistan’s active alliance in providing logistics and arms support to the Taliban. * The “neutrality” of the international communities and organizations, and world states, which in effect constitutes complicity with the criminal acts of the Taliban.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED SUPPORT: – The Declaration of Afghan women that their fundamental rights be respected. – The resistance of all Afghans to the Taliban regime.

In relation to the above, we, acting as individuals and representatives of organizations solemnly call upon: – Democratic nations, – The international community, – International organizations

1. To publicly support the Afghan Women’s Declaration of Rights written in Douchanbe on June 28th 2000 by the Afghan women meeting there.

2. To urgently carry out actions that will favor the establishment of a democratic system in Afghanistan.